Disclaimer: Same as before—Sonic 2 and I do not own the Paper Mario franchise, it's property of Nintendo. The only things that belong to us are the plot of this fanfic, Exxohman, and the two Paper Mario games. We're not writing for money, and we're not affiliated with Nintendo. Basically, we're just fans of Mario writing a fanfic based off the Paper Mario games because we love them! So no suing, please. : P

Authors' Notes: Wow, thanks for all of your great reviews, everyone! Baby Bowser and the rest of the Koopalings probably won't make an appearance, but then again, they might… You'll just have to wait and see! : D

Vbc, you have a lot of nice ideas—Sonic2 and I agreed before we even saw your review that Grodus will make an appearance. I don't think the Koopa Bros. will, though. As for Lord Crump and the Shadow Sirens, well, they look like they'll be making an appearance, too, but no promises.

A. Nonymous, thank you for your reviews and for wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving—Sonic 2 and I hope you (and everyone else) had a Happy Thanksgiving, too!

Naval Ace and Mr. Z, thanks for your reviews, as well!

We appreciate all of the feedback we've gotten from all you guys, and we hope you'll stay with us as the plot progresses.

And now… here is the next chapter! :)

Chapter 4: The Legend of the Trials

As Rogueport quickly approached, Mario typed an e-mail to the toads at Princess Peach's Castle to let them know about the latest developments involving the Princess.

"Sir, we're very close to arriving at Rogueport. We should be there in a few minutes. Prepare for landing!" came the Captain's voice from the steering wheel.

Goombario perked up. "Yes, we're finally gonna get off this boat! I was beginning to feel seasick."

-

Rogueport, as its name suggested, was a town filled with rogues. Whether lurking in back alleys for mysterious reasons, or just walking around town with attitudes, the rogues were everywhere. The main thing that had attracted these shady types was the rumor of a fabled treasure hidden somewhere beneath the modern town of Rogueport, resting behind an ancient door that was called the 'Thousand-Year Door.' Even though some of the rogues had gone off after finding out that the 'treasure' wasn't anything of value to them, there were still lots of other rumors and legends floating around that attracted still attracted a lot of them.

The small boat moved smoothly alongside Rogueport's south side and made a gentle stop. Mario and Goombario hopped off.

"Goodbye, Sir!" called the Captain from the boat. "I will be here daily at the usual time if you wish to return to the Mushroom Kingdom." With that, the boat leaped up, spinning around in midair so that it landed in the water facing the direction it had come from. Then, the two small waterwheels on either side of the boat's sides began turning, and it moved away from Mario and Goombario.

Goombario turned away from the departing boat, studying his surroundings. "So this is Rogueport, huh?" Two Piantas in tuxedos were arguing with a bird-like creature, while a Bandit craftily snagged some coins from a different citizen. "The name sure fits this place; it is filled with rogues…" the goomba muttered to himself. "Better watch your coins, Mario… not that you don't already know that."

"I think we should go talk to Professor Frankly… hopefully, he'll still be here. He might know some other way to get to the moon," said Mario to his companion.

Goombario shrugged. "You know this place a lot more than I do. Lead the way."

The duo began heading over to the staircase that led to the central part of Rogueport, when Goombario suddenly said, "Whoa! Who is that cute Goomba?"

Mario looked around. "Where?"

Goombario did his best to indicate the direction where he saw the female Goomba—which wasn't too easy since he didn't have any arms. "There!"

Mario looked in the direction Goombario seemed to be gesturing to. Sure enough, he saw a pinkish Goomba wearing a safari-like hat on her head. A long, yellow ponytail trailed out from behind the hat, then curled up slightly at the end. "Oh, that's Goombella," said Mario. "I met her last time I was here."

"She looks like she's having a hard time with a Bandit," said Goombario. "Maybe we should go help her out…" Goombella did indeed look as if she was arguing with a Bandit, who was actually trying to distract her from another Bandit that was aiming to steal anything valuable she had on her!

Mario and Goombario both noticed the other Bandit slinking up behind her. The pair quickly headed over to her, her conversation with the Bandit getting easier to hear as they approached.

"…And I'm sick of you Bandits thinking you own this place!" Goombella was saying in a furious tone. "What do you think I am, an idiot?! I knew you were trying to steal my coins! Well, too bad you didn't get any! Now beat it—and leave me alone, or I might have to get rough!"

The Bandit Goombella was talking to noticed Mario and Goombario coming towards him, and so did the one sneaking up behind Goombella. Not wanting to get themselves caught up in a battle if Mario and Goombario were Goombella's friends, the two Bandits quickly ran off.

"Hi, Goombella," the plumber greeted as he walked up to her.

Goombella turned, a surprised look on her face. "Mario?!" Her face lit up. "Wow, I didn't expect to see you anytime soon!" She flashed him a welcoming smile. Then her eyes rested on Goombario. "Got yourself a new companion, I see."

Goombario grinned. "Actually, I was Mario's partner a looong time ago—even before he went to Rogueport. My name's Goombario."

Goombella grinned back. "I'm Goombella. So, what brings you to this place? It's not exactly a picnicking spot... Are you just visiting with Mario, or something?"

"I wish it were a visit, but it's not," Goombario replied grimly.

Mario spoke up. "We're here because Princess Peach was kidnapped by Bowser and is being held up on the moon in Grodus's old base. According to an e-mail she was able to send me through TEC, they've repaired his base and are now trying to destroy this entire planet! Bowser has some kind of Orb that he's forcing TEC to power, and Bowser seems to want to use that Orb to destroy earth after its been charged for thirty days."

"Sounds like an even bigger weirdo than Grodus," said Goombella. "But, it should be a piece of cake for you, Mario! You've always managed to defeat Bowser in the past—you're even famous for it—so why should this time be any different? Let's just go use that warping thingy, save the Princess, and teach Bowser a lesson he deserves!"

"Too bad it's not that simple," Goombario said. "Princess Peach said in her e-mail that Bowser has re-programmed the warping device so that it can only be activated from Grodus's base. So, Bowser and his henchmen can use it from their end to warp back and forth, but we probably won't be able to."

"Well, then we can just use the cannon you used last time, Mario!" said Goombella. "You haven't forgotten about it already, have you?"

"I'd use it without a second thought, but Bowser destroyed it," Mario replied simply.

Goombella let out an annoyed sigh. "Well, I don't see how we're gonna be able to— Hey, wait a minute… Professor Frankly! If anyone would know what to do, it'd be him!"

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Mario said. "Is he still here?"

"Yep!" replied Goombella. "He's doing some research about the Pit of 100 Trials, I think. There were rumors not too long ago that a giant beast lurked way down and guarded a mysterious treasure or something like that. This place is, like, full of rumors now—there's even some rumors going around about you and that you didn't really get the treasure behind the Thousand-Year Door yet!

"Anyway, I'm getting away from the point," she went on, "Professor Frankly is right where you left him, Mario—same house and everything."

"Ummm… you're not going with us, then?" asked Goombario, a tinge of regret in his voice.

"Of course I'm going with you!" said Goombella. "Mario's gonna need all the help he can get. And I'm not just gonna sit around while the earth, plus the Princess, plus everyone else here on earth have a risk of being destroyed! And if you're worried that I'm gonna get creamed in battle, don't be. I can take care of myself."

"Great to have you back, Goombella," said Mario.

"Yeah, it's nice having another Goomba around," said Goombario. "Especially such a cute one," he added under his breath.

"Then it's settled. Now, we should get going!" said Goombella.

The trio left the ports quickly, eager to get to Professor Frankly's house. There was no time to waste!

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Back at the Mushroom Kingdom, a strange and mysterious figure had entered into Toad Town. It wore a black cloak wrapped tightly around its somewhat short body, and the only thing that could be seen of it was its attentive, beady black eyes. It pattered around, glaring at anyone who shot it a questioning glance, not really aiming to go to anywhere specific.

It was as it was walking around the South Side of Toad Town that it heard something that suddenly caught its attention...

"Sighhh… I hope Mario will be able to rescue the Princess!"

The mysterious figure turned in the direction the voice was coming from. His eyes rested on a young female Goomba. The cloaked figure pattered over to her, and tried to act as casual as it could.

"The Princess has been kidnapped?" it asked in an eager, squeaky voice.

"Oh, uh…" the Goomba appeared to be flustered that such a mysterious stranger was talking to her. "Y-yeah, you didn't hear? Peach was just kidnapped by Bowser recently. Mario and my brother Goombario set out to rescue her. There's been no news since…"

Ahhhh… so Mario was gone, was he? That meant that only his little brother Luigi was left to defend the Mushroom Kingdom! The figure grinned evilly from inside its cloak, a scheme coming together in its mind. Without saying another word to Goombaria, it pattered off.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Professor Frankly was a slightly eccentric-looking Goomba. He wore glasses that had a faint spiraling pattern on them, and two tufts of white hair stuck out on either side of his head. Despite his appearance, however, he was a renowned archaeology professor, who had even trained the famous Professor Kolorado of the Mushroom Kingdom! He listened as Mario, Goombario, and Goombella, speaking in turns, explained about Bowser's plot to destroy earth.

"…And so that's when we decided to come to you, Professor," Goombella was just finishing.

Frankly pondered everything he had just been told, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "Hmmm… You say you want to know if there is any other way to get to the moon?" he asked.

"Yes," replied Mario.

"Hold on a moment, will you?" The Goomba walked over to a bookcase behind him. He scanned the titles of some books, muttering quietly to himself. "The Legend of the Big-jawed Treasure Monster? No… The Fabled Treasure of Flowerville? No… Ah! Here it is!" He triumphantly held up a green book.

"What's that?" Goombario asked as the Professor set it on his desk and began flipping through the pages.

"This is a book about the legends and histories of Rogueport," Frankly explained. "One student of mine helped in conducting the research for it. It was recently updated because of your adventure, Mario, and I seem to remember reading something in here that told about how Grodus and his X-Nauts might've gotten to the moon to build their base in the first place… Yes, here it is!"

"What does it say, Professor?" Goombella asked.

Frankly cleared his throat and began reading. "'After intense studying, we have confirmed that Grodus was able to get to the moon without using the cannon at Fahr Outpost—the villagers of Fahr Outpost, when questioned, said that no one had asked to use their cannon for a long time until Mario did. Further research went under way to answer the question, "How did Grodus get up there if he didn't use the cannon?" (The teleportation device seems to have been built by him after he built his base.) This question will require us to talk about an old legend.

"'It is rumored that somewhere far below Rogueport, four pits of trial can be found. The first one, located nearest to the surface, is the Pit of 100 Trials, which supplies whoever is brave enough to go into it with badges and other helpful accessories for the other four trials. This pit's existence has been confirmed.

"'The rest of this, however, is based a lot more off of old Rogueport legends than actual confirmed research and history, but it seems likely to be true. According to the aforementioned legends, the Trial of Strength, which we assume is the second trial, tests your strength by sending out even more vicious foes than the Pit of 100 Trials, and in more quantities. It seems that there is a mysterious and powerful Orb you will find after you complete this trial. This Orb is said to be capable of causing mass destruction.

"'The third trial, once again according to legends, is said to be the Trial of Knowledge. It tests how smart, cunning, and wise you are. If you clear this trial, you are rewarded with an Orb that will grant you one wish. We think that, if this is true, Grodus may have retrieved this Orb, and may have wished that he had a base on the moon, and that is how he got there. This has not yet been confirmed, however.

"'The rest becomes sketchier. There is said to be one more trial, but we have received conflicting comments about it from Rogueport historians. Most, however, seem to think it is something like the "Trial of Many Challenges," where all your skills must come into play.

"'Please note that a lot of this has not been confirmed, but we wonder how else Grodus would be able to get to the moon. No other legends seem to be sensible. Research was shifted to other matters, and there has been no further info on this subject.'"

There was a moment's silence as everyone took in all the things Professor Frankly had just read. Then Goombella said thoughtfully, "Heeeey… Mario, didn't you say something about an Orb that TEC was being forced to power? I wonder if the Orb that they said could cause mass destruction is the one Bowser got… Yeah! It must be!"

"I think you're right, Goombella," said Mario. "And if that trial exists, the others must exist, too."

"But if the trials do exist, how will that help us?" said Goombario. "I mean, what if there really isn't something down there that will help us reach the moon? It would all be a complete waste of time! And we have less than thirty days left..."

"But it's the only thing we can do… isn't it?" Goombella said, shooting an inquiring glance at Frankly.

"It's the only I can think of that has good research to back it up with," Frankly admitted. "I think this should be your course of action–for now, at least. And meanwhile, I'll be studying more research about this topic and others, and I'll let you know about any other possible ways or more info on this 'trial' legend."

"We don't even know where this fourth trial is, though," Goombario pointed out. "All the book said was that it was located somewhere underneath Rogueport—that could be anywhere down there. We could spend days just searching for it!"

Mario's face had a determined look on it. "But think of the Princess, Goombario... and everyone else in the world. They're counting on us to save Peach and them, and that might include taking risks. I think this is the only sensible option right now, and it will be a step in the right direction–we'll be attempting to stop Bowser's scheme, at least, instead of just sitting around for other choices to become available. There's nothing else we can do right now."

The Goomba looked convinced. "Well, when you put it that way... I'm with you, Mario."

"We'll both go with you, Mario! And we'll help you whenever we can," said Goombella encouragingly. "We can do it!"

"Yeah," said Goombario. Then he thought for a second and said, "Mario, you know how the book says that the fourth trial might be something like the 'Trial of Many Challenges?' Well, do you think we should get some help from some of your old partners, too? They all had special skills, and they'll probably be a big help!"

"Yeeeaaah," said Goombella. "And some of your more recent ones, too, Mario. Like Vivian… and Admiral Bobbery…"

"Good thinking," said Mario. "We should be prepared for anything. I'll send an e-mail to some of them right away. If we all work together, I know we can do it."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Bowser was in his room. He hadn't had a very exciting day, but he was still in high spirits because things were going so well. His grumpy mood was gone–at least for now.

The doors slid open, and Kammy Koopa walked in, wielding her magic wand. "Your Nastiness, things are looking good for us. According to recent reports, Princess Peach's capture has spread over Toad Town, and I just found out that Mario set out for Rogueport... even though he has no way of getting here in the first place. He just can't accept that he's going to be the loser this time!"

Bowser replied, "Well, when I blast him to smithereens, then he'll just have to accept it. Bwahahaha! But you know, Kammy, there's something that's been bothering me lately... how did Princess Peach get up here if we re-progammed the warping device and destroyed the cannon? I didn't take her–even though I was planning to later."

"Er..." Kammy Koopa thought for a moment, trying to think of a logical explanation to Bowser's wondering. "It doesn't matter, Your Vileness. She's captured now with no way of contacting Mario or escaping."

"You're right, Kammy. No one–not even Mario–can stop me this time! Bwahahahaha!" Bowser laughed again. "By the way, speaking of Princess Peach, I think I'll go see her now." The King of Koopa's got up from his throne, and walked over to the doors. "Coming, Kammy?"

In response, the female Magikoopa walked over to Bowser, and both exited the room together.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Peach was thinking about her last meeting with TEC when the doors to her room suddenly slid open, and Bowser walked in followed by Kammy. Not again... she thought irritably as she turned around to face the two, making sure to keep a cold face that showed her unhappiness.

"Hello again, Princess," Bowser greeted.

"I hope you've behaved yourself," said Kammy Koopa. "Well, I don't have any reason to worry, anyway–there's not a single way to escape from this room. And there's no way that Mario will rescue you, either."

That's what you think. "Go ahead and keep thinking that–you'll only feel worse when Mario arrives and rescues me, just like he always does," Peach replied.

"Oh, get off it, Princess!" said Bowser. "It's just like I said before. I know he's caused me trouble in the past, but this time is different! How can he beat me if he can't even get to me? Well, anyway, I can see you're not in a good mood right now. I'll come back some other time–I have some things to do now." He walked to the door, and exited with Kammy Koopa.

Peach sighed. Mario will rescue me... I just know it.

To be continued...